They've kept us in suspense for an age, but one Sydney's most talked about developments, Tramsheds, has finally announced a solid opening date — and a new bar. The Tramsheds project, built in the bones of the heritage-listed Rozelle Tram Depot in Harold Park, has announced they'll be opening on September 22. Announced today, this awaited date will see the whole precinct open to the public, along with its newest addition, Osaka Trading Co. — a brand new bar from the folks at Tokyo Bird. The Surry Hills Japanese whisky den will expand to this second venue, infusing TB's core elements into a modern Japanese restaurant. "Osaka is considered the food capital of Japan. So while Tokyo Bird is our laneway small bar, Osaka Trading Co. is a modern Japanese restaurant with seafood taking centre stage — with great drinks alongside, of course," says Osaka Trading Co. and Tokyo Bird co-owner and general manager Jason Ang. "Osaka Trading Co. will incorporate some features of Tokyo Bird, but this is an entirely new concept with lunch options and a full-service dinner menu, seven days a week." [caption id="attachment_530038" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Tokyo Bird.[/caption] Osaka Trading Co. will trade alongside a host of already announced Tramsheds foodies, including Melbourne chicken kings Belles Hot Chicken, Butcher and The Farmer (a deli/butcher/restaurant triple threat run by Jared Ingersoll); sustainable seafood restaurant Fish and Co; tapas restaurant Bodega 1904; ice cream kings Gelato Messina and Flour Eggs Water, a new establishment run by Eugenio Maiale. We can expect a dozen more foodie announcements over the coming months, giving fellow rosy suburb Rosebery a run for its money. Developers Mirvac revealed the precinct will house a European-inspired market hall, lined with small, high quality and bespoke food retailers, alongside a 2440 square metre IGA Supamart supermarket (try saying that ten times fast). Now, in your mind, a giant grocery chain might not mesh well with local providores, but the Supamart is less like your local Woolies/Coles than you might think. It's a family owned and run business — by brothers Andrew and Vasilli Karellas — with a focus on organic and local produce . There's also a medical centre, gym, hairdresser and nail bar planned for the Tramsheds, and a number of cycle paths are currently under renovation — with plans for over 80 bike racks to be installed across the site. It hasn't all been smooth sailing however, as the tram depot structure has been uninhabited since the 1950s and has since been granted heritage status so the renovations have been rather tricky. But they've managed to retain many of the OG features of the sheds — including the saw tooth roof which was first constructed in 1904. We can't wait to see it for ourselves. Tramsheds will open on September 22. By Imogen Baker with Shannon Connellan.
It's time to dig the gumboots out of the back of your closet — Splendour in the Grass is finally returning to North Byron Parklands for another year after a two-year hiatus that felt like an eternity. In 2022, Splendour celebrates its 20th year with what's set to be a memorable comeback after a string of postponements. The festival was originally announced with a mammoth lineup back in February 2020; however, that didn't come to fruition for obvious reasons. The rescheduled event will now land in across the weekend of Friday, July 22–Sunday, July 24 . At the top of the bill sits Damon Albarn's animated supergroup Gorillaz, chart-topping rapper Tyler, the Creator and New York indie legends The Strokes. And, they have plenty of company. The Avalanches and Liam Gallagher help lead the complete roster of acts for 2022, alongside Glass Animals, Kacey Musgraves, Violent Soho, DMA's, Tim Minchin and The Jungle Giants. As usual, it's a stacked and eclectic list. If you'd already purchased a ticket for SITG 2020 or 2021, you'll be happy to know that they're still valid for the 2022 edition. And if you don't have a ticket yet, you can head to the festival's website to nab a pre-loved ticket now. SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2022 LINEUP Gorillaz The Strokes Tyler, The Creator The Avalanches Glass Animals Liam Gallagher Kacey Musgraves Duke Dumont Live Violent Soho DMA's Yungblud Jack Harlow Dillon Francis Tim Minchin The Jungle Giants Mura Masa Amyl & The Sniffers Aitch G Flip Ruel Oliver Tree Jungle Tom Misch Grinspoon Orville Peck Parquet Courts Tierra Whack Cub Sport Jpegmafia Ruby Fields Sofi Tukker Methyl Ethel Julia Stone Baker Boy Stella Donnelly Genesis Owusu Hooligan Hefs The Chats Confidence Man Biig Piig Holly Humberstone Chillinit Alex The Astronaut Maxo Kream Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever Triple One Still Woozy Bad//Dreems Myd Northeast Party House Joy Crookes Wet Leg Mo'ju Pup Miiesha Mildlife Jarreau Vandal Brame & Hamo Shannon & The Clams Babe Rainbow Tai Verdes The Snuts Sycco Tom Cardy Sly Withers Hinds Dayglow Starcrawler Alice Ivy Budjerah JK-47 Jeff The Brotherhood Fazerdaze King Stingray Renforshort May-A The Lazy Eyes Banoffee Flowerkid The Buoys Moktar Stevan The Soul Movers George Alice 1300 Mickey Kojak Dro Carey & DJ Scorpion Pricie Mylee Grace Andy Golledge Charlie Collins Pink Matter Memphis Lk (DJ) Triple J Unearthed winners Mix-Up DJ's Dena Amy Jordan Brando Shantan Wantan Ichiban Luen Honey Point AK Sports Aywy Carolina Gasolina Munasib Pond Tasman Keith Top image: Dave Kan. Updated July 18, 2022.
With all due respect to them, the cast of Patti Cake$ don't look your average movie stars. And they certainly don't look like your average rappers. There's Cathy Moriarty as a pack-a-day smoking grandma, Mamoudou Athie as an awkward would-be anarchist, Siddharth Dhananjay as a smooth-talking pharmacy worker and, finally, Sydney's own Danielle MacDonald as Patricia Dumbrowski, aka Patti Cake$ aka White Trish aka KILLA P, a downtrodden woman who dreams of becoming a hip hop sensation. Of course, it's precisely because the film focuses on such an unconventional set of protagonists that this inspiring indie drama works so well. Written and directed by first-time filmmaker Geremy Jasper, who workshopped the film with his cast at the Sundance Directors Lab, Patti Cake$ is a classic underdog story — one that will have audiences cheering for its misfit heroes at every turn. "I think we all want to be represented," says MacDonald, her Aussie accent sounding nothing like Patti's New Jersey drawl. "We see what normality is on screen, but that's not really true to real life. I don't know any one person who would say that they're normal, quite honestly. And I think now that we're seeing different stories and different people on screen, it's really cool." After screening at the Sydney Film and Melbourne International Film festivals, Patti Cake$ is now in Australian cinemas. We spoke to MacDonald about how she went from Sydney's northern beaches to suddenly being the talk of LA. That, as well as the importance of on screen diversity, and what it's like being cast as a rapper when you have literally no idea how to rap. A STAR ON THE RISE Since Patti Cake$ premiered to a standing ovation at Sundance in January (prompting a bidding war between five major production companies — Fox Searchlight came out on top), critics have been singing MacDonald's praises — and rightfully so. But while it might seem like she appeared out of nowhere, the actor has been putting in the hard yards for quite some time. "I grew up in Clareville [a small suburb in Sydney's northern beaches]," she tells us. "I did acting classes in Sydney at the Australian Institute for the Performing Arts. I did some tours to America, just to learn about the industry out there, and one of the casting directors I met introduced me to my managers. My managers got me an audition, I moved to the States, and I've been there for seven years, working my way up." It was MacDonald's small part in indie thriller The East that caught the attention of Patti Cake$ director Jasper, who invited her — along with Dhananjay and Bridgett Everett, who play's Patti's alcoholic mother Barb — to help develop the project at the Sundance Labs in 2014. "That was kind of my audition process," MacDonald says. "It was really cool, because Geremy hadn't finished the writing process yet, and I feel like his writing was influenced by myself and Sid and Bridget. We all workshopped with him and kind of figured out who these characters were, based off this time that we got." HIP HOP 101 MacDonald displays phenomenal talent in the film, but even she admits her casting was a bit of a gamble. After all, it's one thing to teach an Aussie girl a Jersey accent, but it's another thing entirely to teach her how to rap. "I was terrified," she admits. "And I could tell [Jasper] was terrified as well." "It was a lot of repetition," MacDonald says of her hip hop training. "I listened to a lot of different artists, a lot of different songs and styles of music. On top of that I worked with a rap coach for a month before we started shooting. He really helped me sit in the beat nicely, and just relax into it and not stress about it, which you do when it's not a natural skill. He helped me find that." "I feel like so much of rapping is just confidence, and I had no confidence. Trying to get over that was very mentally challenging." When asked if rapping is now a skill she'll possess forever, MacDonald laughs. "I only know how to rap as Patti — I learnt how to do these songs in her voice and in her head. I would never be able to do it as me. With my voice and my no swag, it would go very badly." CONNECTING ON A HUMAN LEVEL Of the all the elements in Patti Cake$, it's the diverse characters that make the film so gratifying. "[They] reflect society," MacDonald remarks. "These are people of all different shapes and sizes and ethnicities and religions and genders, that all come together and connect just on a human level. Connecting "through their weirdness", MacDonald observes they're all outcasts in a way. "It's special. They find their own way of doing things," she says. "My small town in the northern beaches is very different to this small town in Jersey," MacDonald continues. "It's cool to be see something different and be able to play something different, but something that I can still relate to. And that's the thing. I think when you see these films and you can go, 'Oh I can relate to that person, even though they're so different from me', I think it really helps bring people together."
If you've a hankering for a culture injection, but can't afford to hit up every blockbuster exhibition that rolls into town, just look a little harder in the streets around you. There's art literally everywhere and we don't mean 'art' like the wisp of a cloud or the smile of a baby, but tangible, meaningful art that crowds the streets without our noticing. We can still be guilty of thinking of art as picture frames on walls in a white cube gallery, but these installation pieces in the City Art Collection defy the stereotype and crop up where you least suspect them. [caption id="attachment_581253" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Caroline Rothwell, Youngsters (2012). Image: Katherine Griffiths.[/caption] YOUNGSTERS - CAROLINE ROTHWELL The CBD is always jam-packed with people, so you'd be forgiven if you locked eyes on Caroline Rothwell's sculpture piece Youngsters, put your headphones in and kept on walking. The duo of bronze statues stands on the northern side of Barrack Street on the corner of Barrack and George Street and portrays two small figures in hoodies. On closer inspection you'll notice the figures are actually children, with plaits under their hoodies , one standing and one hand standing. Rothwell's sculptures are classically proportioned but make a comment on contemporary urban stereotypes while cutting through the noise of the busy district with their diminutive but sinister stance. [caption id="attachment_581268" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Fiona Foley, Bibles and Bullets (2008). Image: Katherine Griffiths.[/caption] BIBLES AND BULLETS - FIONA FOLEY Prolific Brisbane-based installation artist Fiona Foley is the mind behind Bibles and Bullets, an interactive playscape for children installed in Redfern Park. Her work manages to be a playground and a piece of art with a lesson in Indigenous bush tucker, as her metal sculptures reference seeds from the local area. The individual elements of the park are laden with meaning. Intuitive Play creates climbing frames in the shape and texture of seed pods (wrinkly nut, mangrove seed and yam seeds) while Lotus Line is an interactive water feature made from a splay of lotus flowers in the shape of a crucifix, a comment on the colonisation of Indigenous lands to be read in the context of salient quotes from Paul Keating and an inscription commemorating artist Michael Riley engraved in the pavement near the park. [caption id="attachment_576740" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Robyn Bracken, The Archaeology of Bathing (1999). Image: City of Sydney.[/caption] ROBYN BACKEN - THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF BATHING You may have looked at Robyn Backen's piece The Archaeology of Bathing in Woolloomooloo Bay and mistook it as part of a (very odd) dock. It's actually a tribute to the traditional use of Woolloomoolloo Bay: bathing. Since the time the Gadigal people were the only inhabitants of the land and right through to 1955, the bay was used as a big bath for all and sundry. Of course, ladies and gents had separate bathing facilities (because of modesty and all that). The metal enclosure represents protection from not only sharks but also the shark-like attention of Peeping Toms. [caption id="attachment_581270" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Herbert Flugelman, Dobell Memorial Sculpture (1979). Image: Paul Patterson, City of Sydney.[/caption] DOBELL MEMORIAL SCULPTURE - FLUGELMAN Herbert Flugelman's sculpture stands proudly on the intersection of Bond, Spring and Pitt Street in the CBD, and upon previous inspection you might have thought it a tribute to, say, shiny things or a neat stack of energised tesseracts, but you'd be wrong. The sculpture is called the Dobell Memorial Sculpture and it represents a man named Sir William Dobell, one of Australia's most prized landscape and portrait artists. Dobell won the Archibald Prize three times and was knighted in 1966 (a very worthy subject for an abstract memorial). Flugelman, the artist, is renowned for his concentric, geometric sculptural work. So now, when you stroll past the glinting, glorious memorial sculpture, you can break out some esoteric as heck facts to wow your pals. [caption id="attachment_581252" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Fiona Hall, A Folly for Mrs Macquarie (1999). Image: Katherine Griffiths.[/caption] A FOLLY FOR MRS MACQUARIE - FIONA HALL In the Royal Botanic Gardens, looking east over the harbour, you'll find a cast iron gazebo that's part bird cage and part Elven masterpiece. Its accurate title, as defined by artist Fiona Hall, is a 'folly' – a costly, ornamental structure with no practical purpose. It's a dig at Lachlan Macquarie, the governor of Sydney from 1810-1821, who tried to impose a neoclassical order to the city that staunchly resisted it. It's an allegory for the rigid way Britain colonised Australia (another folly in the artist's view) and attempted to impose their values on society along with their taste in architecture The flowery style of the folly is, upon closer inspection, made up of native plant and animal species (that were bred out of the harbour by foreign species) and barbed wire that divided the land. A Folly For Mrs Macquarie is a superficially pretty structure with a powerful message about colonisation. Want more Sydney art? Let's go find five hidden artworks around the city.
It looks like the Powerhouse Museum might be packing its boxes. The State Government announced today that the biggest branch of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences will indeed be moved to Parramatta if the government is re-elected on March 28. In a media statement, NSW Premier Mike Baird and Deputy Premier Troy Grant detailed plans to funnel more than $30 million toward developing a planned 'arts and culture precinct' in Western Sydney, a project set to take four years and confirmed following months of discussion about a potential Powerhouse move. "We want to extend Sydney’s cultural ribbon to Western Sydney so we will invest $10 million to relocate the Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta," said Baird. "This will be the first time one of the State’s five major cultural institutions will be entirely located in Western Sydney." Moving the whole Powerhouse to Parramatta will predictably take a third of the precinct funds — $10 million is being put toward transporting the museum from Ultimo. "The $10 million will be used to develop a business case for the Museum’s relocation to ensure it remains the interactive and vibrant place enjoyed by children and families," says Baird. Moving the entire Powerhouse across Sydney — collection, equipment, furniture — is indeed a costly exercise; it's not exactly a one-trip deal. Another $800,000 has been allocated to setting up a 'resident company' at Parramatta's Riverside Theatre, and $7.5 million has been pledged to vaguely "support artists and organisations based in Western Sydney by creating more opportunities for practicing and emerging artists". Baird also stated the profits from the "urban renewal" (read: land sale) of the Ultimo site will go directly to the new Parramatta museum. When the proposal to move the Powerhouse was first announced, it met with mixed reviews, including scepticism from Rose Hiscock, the museum director herself. Whether this move will really transform the Powerhouse into the "world’s leading museum of science and design" or whether this an easy way for the Liberal Party to win over some all-important western Sydney votes, the plans have some serious pros and cons. Ultimo itself could use development as an arts precinct, and the Powerhouse released its own 2020 strategy this year, citing its current location, proximity to Sydney’s tourist centre, educational institutions and start-ups as vital to its future plans. On the other hand, as the Sydney Morning Herald pointed out, one in ten Australians and almost a third of NSW's population live in Western Sydney — though the West only enjoys 5.5 per cent of the state government's arts budget, according to the Building Western Sydney's Cultural Arts Economy report. This Deloite report, commissioned by Western Sydney local councils, controversially suggests moving the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and the National Arts School to Western Sydney too — seeing as there's no major state cultural institution in the West. With State elections set for March 28, let the furious pub debates begin. Should the Powerhouse move to Parramatta? Or could a Questacon-like offshoot could be the better option? Weigh up the pros and cons with our feature over here.
A supermarket in Germany is cutting through the supply chain and giving a whole new meaning to the concept of farm-to-table. Located in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin, a store in the METRO Cash & Carry chain is now home to the first in-store farm in Europe. The Kräuter Garten (herb garden) is a walk-in vertical farm built by Berlin-based startup INFARM. Resembling a small greenhouse, it utilises hydroponic technology to grow herbs and vegetables in a compact space. Shoppers are then able to pick the best looking greens straight from the growing plants. Good luck finding produce fresher than that. "This type of cultivation, which is termed hydroponics, enables customers to receive the freshest possible goods without any use of pesticides. In addition, METRO's carbon footprint benefits because of the absence of a transportation route," reads a statement on the METRO website. "The vertical cultivation saves space in terms of floor area. In METRO's Berlin-Friedrichshain store, various types of herbs and vegetables thrive on around five square metres of space. The high-tech facility supplies each individual plant with the optimum amount of nutrients and light." Given the high economic and environmental cost associated with transporting food, it seems like METRO could really be onto something with this idea. Hopefully someone at Woolies is paying attention. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldJ66k2MPdQ Via Vice.
Looking to up your fancy brunch game? Start picking out your Sunday best. Ananas Bar and Brasserie have announced the return of their monthly champagne brunch, starting with a 'Frozen Brunch' on April 26 that will transform the award-winning French restaurant into a glamorous winter wonderland. Designed by Ananas’s Michelin-starred executive chef Damien Brassel along with chef de cuisine Neil Martin, these luxury brunches will hinge around a roaming-style buffet. Guests can have their pick of a bountiful spread that includes a seafood grazing station, juice bar and fruit station, omelette station, housemade charcuterie and cheeses, and a selection of éclairs and macarons. Not too shabby for $69 per person. Ananas's monthly brunches will offer guests the chance to upgrade their experience with a two-hour bottomless champagne flute package for an extra $50. That's a lot of bubbly. The brunches will also include a rotating lineup of live entertainment, with local bands and DJs channelling the energy of the infamous Bagatelle Brunch in New York City. Tucked away at 18 Argyle Street in The Rocks, Ananas' interior is inspired by 1920s Parisian decor, and includes a dedicated oyster bar and a very well-stocked drinks menu. Executive chef Brassel has previously worked under the likes of Heston Blumenthal and Marco Pierre White, so expect the unexpected. Ananas champagne brunches take place from 11am to 5pm on selected monthly dates. Bookings are essential. For more information, visit their website.
Take a trip to Los Angeles in the year 2019, where acid rain falls on crowded streets lit up by neon lights. As part of Art & About Sydney, Golden Age Cinema are hosting a special experiential screening of Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece Blade Runner, complete with music, art, food and a futuristic night market in an inner city carpark. Taking place on February 20, More Human Than Human: Blade Runner will transform the Goulburn Street car park into a dystopian installation space. Local artists and performers will present works inspired by Scott's groundbreaking Philip K. Dick adaptation, immersing visitors in the sights, sounds and themes of the film while pondering its ultimate question: what does it mean to be human? The evening will conclude with a rooftop screening of the movie itself, making this a night that film lovers can't afford to miss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_9rhPDLHWk
Although saying goodbye to Pei Modern's ricotta dumplings and cracking Chardonnay selection has been one of the toughest calls of 2017, we do, at last, have a replacement. From today — Thursday, July 20 — Francesco Mannelli (ex-est., Balla, and Uccello) has settled into the space on the ground floor of the Four Seasons Hotel as head chef of Mode Kitchen & Bar. Like Pei Modern, the restaurant will fall somewhere between bistro and fine dining. On the menu are simple dishes based on Mannelli's favourite produce, such as kingfish with the surprising addition of macadamias, sultanas and pickled onion, risotto heaped with fresh Tasmanian truffle and a melt-in-your-mouth wagyu beef cheek with chestnuts and cabbage. Match your choice with a pick from the 200-strong wine list or go for a cocktail such as the Negroni-like Contessa, which swaps out Campari with Aperol for a lighter finish. ACME designer Luchetti Krelle — who is also behind the fit-outs for Bar Brosé, Banksii, The Butler and Barrio Cellar — has taken care of the interior for the 200-seater with a glamorous, 1920s art deco-inspired revamp. The entire restaurant is now encircled by fluted glass, giving it an intimate feel and, most importantly, successfully separating it from the hotel foyer. The furnishings include flashes of velvet, dashes of brass, marble and leather, as well as a variety of seating options, including bar stools, lounges, banquettes and semi-private spaces — meaning you can stop by for a drink, a group dinner or a spanner crab sandwich between meetings. Mode Kitchen & Bar is now open on the ground floor of the Four Seasons, 199 George Street, Sydney. It will be open lunch and dinner seven days a week. For more info, visit modekitchenandbar.com.au.
The Sydney CBD is getting a brand new rooftop bar and live music lounge, albeit only temporarily. Presented by Art & About Sydney, the pop-up bar will sit atop Town Hall's Marconi Terrace and will be serving up food, drinks and free live performances over nine nights throughout the second half of September. As if Sydney's office workers needed another reason to look forward to the end of the day. Located on the roof on the Druitt Street side of Town Hall, The Terrace has been inspired by New York's rooftop bar scene, particularly the magical arboretum that is Gallow Green. complete with garden-style features by Sydney design duo Amber Road. The venue will be open 5pm-10pm from September 18–27, except on Sundays when it'll be open 3pm–8pm. The music program features a diverse range of artists including Jones Jnr, Pat Capocci, Microwave Jenny and Richard In Your Mind, along with an acoustic set by Dave and Joji from Gang of Youths and a closing night performance by Paul Capsis accompanied by the Cafe at the Gate of Salvation gospel choir. That's in addition to a lineup of local DJs spinning sets every night. Best bit? Entry to The Terrance is 100 percent free. Here's hoping we see more openings like it. Sydney's rooftop bar scene isn't crowded with options, but with spring around the corner, it seems like the perfect time to change that. To see the full Terrace program, check out the event website.
Australia's coffee game is ridiculous right now. We lay claim to both the current World Barista Champion (Sasa Sestic) and the World Latte Art Champion (Caleb Cha). And despite Sydney never getting a mention in the same breath as Melbourne when it comes to specialty coffee, we know how to make a pretty good cup ourselves. For a lot of Sydneysiders, coffee is a way of life, and they're keen to learn and try everything they can — and pass this knowledge onto you, dear reader. Sydney has a plethora of cafes that aren't just dedicated to making the perfect cup of caffeinated goodness, but have taken it upon themselves to roast their own beans, devise new methods of pouring or educate the public on the subject. So whether you're a total coffee nerd or a coffee noob who just wants to know how those chemistry set things actually make a cup of coffee, here are eight hardcore coffee spots to get yourself (and your Keep Cup) to right away. Top image: Karl Frederickson via Unsplash
Deck the halls and unpack the plastic tree — the festive season is well and truly upon us. And while that whole Christmas tradition stuff is nice, we're not going to deny what we're most excited about: a whole stocking-load of new films. Along with the cricket and stampeding through shopping centres, going to the movies is one of our favourite Boxing Day traditions. After all, what better place to recover from your post-Christmas food coma than in a nice, dark, air-conditioned cinema? Of course, not all of the end-of-year titles measure up. That's why we're reporting in with our annual Boxing Day Battle Royale, to ensure that you get maximum bang for your Kris Kringle gift voucher buck. From critically claimed indie flicks to an epic blockbuster about a man who can talk to fish, you're guaranteed to find something to enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvPkDdFeTk8 COLD WAR We give it: 5 stars With Cold War, writer-director Pawel Pawlikowski achieves a plethora of astonishing feats. Constrained within 4:3 frames, his sumptuous black-and-white imagery immerses audiences in an intimate and complicated tale, with the filmmaker painting every possible emotion across the screen. The talent behind Oscar-winner Ida also turns his parents' own story into a heart-wrenching romance, and crafts a snapshot of Polish life as the Second World War gave way to the Cold War. Last by no means least, he gifts audiences with astoundingly intricate performances from actors Tomasz Kot and Joanna Kulig. The duo plays a couple who are desperate to be together, but live in a world that cares little about their desires — or about them at all. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYb-wkehT1g THE FAVOURITE We give it: 4.5 stars One queen, two women vying for her attention, and nearly two hours of acerbic and perceptive black comedy. That's The Favourite, a historical drama that looks like a lavish period picture, but boasts a savage wit — and savage insights into human behaviour — that's far from standard for the genre. The key is The Lobster filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. Not only does he again showcase his winning ways with stilted conversations and his fondness for skewering social expectations; he also exhibits a knack for political comedy and even slapstick. Lanthimos is aided by his fantastic cast, including top awards contender Olivia Colman as Queen Anne, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone as her bickering offsiders, and Nicholas Hoult as the wannabe leader with his own conniving plans. – SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaiR3zdv5cU THE WILD PEAR TREE We give it: 4 stars After Once Upon a Time in Anatolia and Winter Sleep, Nuri Bilge Ceylan crafts another slow-burning affair that combines probing insights into human behaviour with sublime imagery. A tale of dreams and disappointments both mundane and life changing, The Wild Pear Tree sprawls and spreads in its everyday drama and perceptive dialogue. The movie's protagonist is Sunan (Dogu Demirkol), a new graduate returning home with qualifications but no job, and with a manuscript but no means to publish it. Across the movie's 188 minutes, the aspiring writer walks the town's dusty farmland and quiet streets seeking financial help, while his father's (Murat Cemcir) gambling debts continue to mount. The result is a picture that fits firmly into the acclaimed Turkish filmmaker's exceptional oeuvre. – SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDkg3h8PCVU AQUAMAN We give it: 3 stars The latest film in the DC Cinematic Universe is far from perfect. Its plot is a mess and its leading man, a roguish surfer-dude turned superhero (Jason Mamoa), is criminally underused. Despite these issues, it's also, for the most part, wildly entertaining. With dazzling visuals that, at their best, feel like Blade Runner (and, at their worst, The Phantom Menace), Aussie director James Wan never lets things slow down for too long, aided by a thumping electro soundtrack reminiscent of Daft Punk's work on Tron: Legacy. Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson and Nicole Kidman help round out a stellar cast, albeit one that commands far too much time away from the true star, Mamoa. Nevertheless, it's safe to say that DC is slowly, painfully but ever so positively clawing its way back to credibility with each new film not directed by Zack Snyder. In the wake of the enormously successful Wonder Woman, Aquaman represents another small foot forward for the franchise. – Tom Glasson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSGFt6w0wok VICE We give it: 3 stars Sporting a hunch and a paunch, speaking in gravelly grunts and side-eyeing everyone around him, Christian Bale turns in another committed, transformative performance in Vice. His vision of former US Vice President Dick Cheney is a sight to behold, and with Amy Adams suitably steely as Lynne Cheney, Sam Rockwell in laidback mode as President George W. Bush and Steve Carell obnoxiously slippery as Donald Rumsfeld, he's in good company. But, as written and directed by Adam McKay in the same slick, jam-packed fashion as his previous film The Big Short, Vice never completely lives up to its performances. It's impassioned, amusing, designed to get audiences angry and stuffed with stylistic tricks to an almost overwhelming extent. However it also merely states the obvious rather than offers any new or deep insights. – SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8mdIB1WxHI KUSAMA: INFINITY We give it: 3 stars How do you capture the enigma that is Yayoi Kusama in a single 85-minute film? The short answer: it's impossible, but Kusama: Infinity gives the task an affectionate try. Unsurprisingly filled with dots and pumpkins, this documentary celebrates the Japanese artist and showcases her work, however it doesn't break the mould the way that Kusama always has across her seven-decade career. What the movie does do well is explore the battles that the nearly 90-year-old artist has faced again and again, both as a woman in Japan and as a foreigner abroad. For those new to Kusama's story — people who've marvelled at her infinity rooms but haven't delved any further — writer-director Heather Lenz also provides a Kusama 101 lesson. – SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BcYBFC6zfY WRECK-IT RALPH 2: RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET We give it: 2 stars A shadow looms over this Disney sequel — and, despite his hefty size, it doesn't stem from Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) himself. Rather, in taking the loveable video game character and his racer best friend Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) out of the arcade and into the online world, the film brings one of 2017's worst movies to mind. Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet fares better than The Emoji Movie, but its efforts to both literalise and satirise cyberspace just keep falling flat. Worse: its straightforward vision of the internet instantly feels dated. With product placement and a pixel-thin emotional journey the flick's other main components, this pop culture-heavy affair proves visually lively but lacklustre overall. – SW
Fromage friends, there's a new cheese in town. It's a semi-soft, washed-rind cheese that's landed behind the counter of Newtown resident cheese experts, The Stinking Bishops. And it's called Stinking Bishop. But rather than being the Sydney cheese shop's own product, it's actually the cheese that gave our favourite Friday night cheese spot its name. Earning the name Stinking Bishop with gumption, this highly-prized cheese's pinkish rind and pungent smell comes from being immersed in perry, a pear-based alcohol, periodically while it matures. If you're a budding cheese buff, you'll be glad to know that Stinking Bishop is allowed to mature traditionally in humid cave-like conditions. The cheese reportedly doesn't taste as strong as it smells, but we'll let you be the judge of that. As with all the cheeses at The Stinking Bishops, it's available on their cheese boards and retail, to take home with you. The cheese is produced in very limited quantities and The Stinking Bishops are hoping to make it a regular cheese on their menu, but this time they've only managed to get their hands on 10kg. So it goes without saying, you might want to put some pep in your step and get in on it. Remember to put down your cheese knife before running out the door though. Stinking Bishop is available at The Stinking Bishops, 5/63-71 Enmore Road, Newtown, while stocks last.
The fierce folk at For Film's Sake, Sydney's female-focused film festival, are cooking up a movie marathon to make your hair stand on end. Screening in the carpark at the Alaska Project in Elizabeth Bay (which could be a horror film location in and of itself), this six-hour frightfest will showcase three blood-curdling horror flicks that are most definitely not for the faint of heart. The marathon kicks off at 6pm with XX, a four part horror anthology directed entirely by women, including one segment made by Grammy-winning singer-songwriter St Vincent. That'll be followed by the provocative Bitch, about a put-upon woman who suddenly snaps and takes on the psyche of a violent dog. The marathon will come to a close with one of the all time great vampire flicks: Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark. The whole thing goes down on the evening of Saturday, April 29. Tickets are available here, if you've got the guts.
One of the biggest names in Japanese cuisine right now, Chase Kojima, has announced big plans to open a casual dining and takeaway restaurant in The Star Sydney (yes, that place but stay with us). Kojima's new deluxe burger venture (and first ever casual dining restaurant) will be setting up shop opposite Momofuku Seiobo, although, as construction has just started, the opening is slated for November of this year. The new restaurant will be called Gojima — a play on the chef's last name, and the Japanese word for rice, gohan — and will serve up gourmet bun-less rice burgers and sides as well as Japanese beer, wine and thickshakes (weird addition but we're always down). Having led kitchens for the iconic Nobu restaurant group for years, Kojima then nailed it with his Sokyo Ramen pop-up in the Star Cafe Court last year which ran over by five months thanks to popular demand. The San Francisco-raised dynamo has spent the last few years at the helm of some of Australia's most high profile Japanese restaurants: Sydney's Soyko and the Gold Coast's Kiyomi. For fans of Sydney's casual fine dining trend, this is great news. Don't we all deserve to try a gourmet, bun-less rice burger made by one of the world's most celebrated Japanese cuisine chefs? Kojima thinks so. Gojima will open later this year at The Star, in the space opposite Momofuku Seiobo.
For the past seven years, local legends and independent purveyors of fine Sydney music FBi Radio have been handing out awards to high achievers in Sydney music, arts and culture. The SMAC Awards have championed local musicians, venues, artists, creatives, restaurants and promoters — generally Sydney's best slam-dunkers from The Preatures to The Stinking Bishops — in a big ol' party in various Sydney locations, from the National Art School to Carriageworks. This year, in tandem with the actual awards ceremony, they're bringing the SMACs to the people — in a huge festival within Sydney Festival 2016. For the first time ever, the FBi SMACs Festival will be a public throwback event at Carriageworks. FBi has invited a huge Sydney lineup of past and present nominees and winners, from the various realms of music, art, performance and food, so you can consume the very best of Sydney over the last seven years. Sydney's best DJs and electronic artists will be creating casual beat odysseys in the dark confines of the FBi Click Rave Cave. There'll be a traditional Italian BBQ soundtracked by Sydney sophisticated lover and Italo disco king Donny Benet. You can play putt putt on a colourful golf course created by installation artist Rosie Deacon, or just generally lose your shit over one heck of a Sydney music lineup — Cosmo's Midnight, Tuka, Dustin Tebbutt, Vallis Alps, Black Vanilla, Dro Carey, Palms, Fishing, Shining Bird, Holy Balm, Gordi, Wordlife, B Wise, World Champion, Polish Club, Sampa the Great, Coda Conduct, Dreems, Adi Toohey and more. Obviously, FBi Supporters get discounts on tickets (max two tickets per supporter), and you'll have to present your supporter card at the entry gate on the day. If you are an FBi Supporter, but don't have a card, just email membership@fbiradio.com so they can send you a new one. FBi SMACs Festival is happening at Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh on January 10 from midday to 10pm. First release tickets are $49 and it's 18+ (sorry kids). Multipack Sydney Festival tickets go on sale October 22, and all tickets are on sale October 26 from the Sydney festival website. Image: Liam Cameron/FBi Radio.
The organisers of the Antenna Documentary Film Festival have revealed their latest program, including a timely opening night film about a group of Syrian refugees — and the attempts of Good Samaritans to help get them to safety. Sydney's annual documentary film festival will commence on October 13 with the Australian premiere of On the Bride's Side. An Italian/Palestinian co-production, the film follows a small team of Milanese journalists and activists who orchestrate a fake wedding party in order to smuggle their Syrian and Palestinian refugee friends thousands of kilometres across Europe – risking arrest and imprisonment in the process. The documentary has already screened at a number of festivals including the Venice International Film Festival and HotDocs in Toronto, where it received critical praise for bringing "a more personal perspective" to an ongoing humanitarian crisis. As the heartbreaking images of drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi recently showed, putting a human face onto these kinds of tragedies can have a huge impact on public and political discourse. Perhaps we should be lobbying for certain members of the government to attend the screening. In addition to On the Bride's Side, this year's Antenna will include a number of high-profile and critically acclaimed documentaries. Made with the participation of legendary actor David Gulpilil, Molly Reynolds' Another Country explores the ongoing conflict between Indigenous communities and government policy, while Danish documentary Warriors from the North probes the growing trend of young Western Muslims joining jihadist groups overseas. Also from Denmark, albeit slightly less sombre, comes Michael Madsen's The Visit, which ponders the likely human response to a visit from extraterrestrial life. We're also particularly excited to check out B-Movie: Lust and Sound in West Berlin, about the eponymous city's vibrant music scene during the 1980s, as well as environmental activism doco Racing Extinction, from the Oscar-winning director of The Cove. The Antenna Documentary Film Festival runs from October 13-18 at Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinema and the Museum of Contemporary Art. For the full program visit the festival website.
Rather than sitting home and mourning the death of Big Day Out this Australia Day, you can spend your time recovering from a brand new boutique festival. Titled Electric Gardens and channelling the park-based electronica popularised by Parklife and Listen Out, the event will take over Centennial Park on the first day of the Australia Day long weekend — Saturday, January 23. Electric Gardens' organisers have made the first lineup announcement this morning, with one Fatboy Slim leading the charge. Just lately the electro legend has been indulging in Random Acts of Smileyness. Fingers-crossed this smileyness continues at Electric Gardens. Joining the Weapon of Choice at the festival will be John Digweed and James Zabiela, so it’s all looking very much like a star-studded DJ affair. Gates will open at midday and stay that way until 10pm. To score the best possible ticket price, get in quick. By way of celebrating its inauguration, Electric Gardens is offering a super-limited, early-bird release. Sign up to the festival’s website and you’ll be able to nab a $99 ticket before general sales start on October 1. You’ll also get first notice as further lineup announcements are made. We’re being promised “many more international DJs”. Electric Gardens comes to Centennial Parklands on Saturday, January 23 from midday to 10pm. Head to the website for more info.
Remember all those promises you made to Facebook, about how when the winter chills let up you’re going to really knuckle down, get healthy, eat veggies and save a tonne of money? Well forget about it right now, you naïve fool, because Johnny Lobster and Young Henrys are throwing an all you can eat friend chicken night on Mondays during August. Yes, call your PT, call your bank, call your therapist and cackle maniacally at them to convey the futility of trying to be good when for $25, you can eat as much fried chicken as you can handle. Byeeee Felicia (Felicia is your will to resist). Every Monday night in August, Johnny Lobster will host an orgy of sensual delight (not a real orgy by the way, but a food one which is better). For $25 you will get all you can eat fried chicken and sides, while those chronic enablers from Young Henrys will be on hand to sell you $5 cans of the good stuff as well. While Johnny Lobster is technically a seafood joint, they handle chicken (the salmon of the land) with such tender loving care that they even admit the place could easily be called Johnny Rooster. While stuffing your face, make sure you quote Jessica Simpson’s “chicken or fish?” masterpiece at least once and snort-laugh at your own joke because that’s the way fried chicken is best enjoyed. If you’re down to clown with Johnny Lobster’s friend chicken fiesta, be sure to book ahead of time as word is spreading fast. Visit their Facebook page for more info.
If Wiz Khalifa has time to help the community out, you'd better find some time in that not-so-internationally-touring schedule of yours. The 28-year-old American rapper yesterday dropped by the Weave Skate Park Project Plan in Waterloo to do his bit for Optus RockCorps, a huge community service initiative and concert project running over the last eight weeks in Sydney. Khalifa was on the ground yesterday meeting volunteers like a boss and helping to paint and revitalise the skate park. What a dude. Now in its third year in Australia, Optus RockCorps is a global youth project that gives people the chance to get involved in volunteering to make a real difference in their communities — and in return, they earn sweet, sweet tickets. Over the past few weeks, over 3000 Sydneysiders have been volunteering just four hours of their time each (that's over 12,000 volunteered hours) at over 40 different community groups. It's all out of the goodness of their hearts — and quietly in return for a ticket to see an exclusive, live concert with some of the world’s biggest artists, including Khalifa, Peking Duk (who've been doing their own spot of volunteering), The Veronicas and Raury at Luna Park's Big Top on September 30. You couldn't buy tickets to this gig, only volunteer your time. Suffice to say, ticketholders will be feeling pretty chuffed tonight, both for helping their communities and finding themselves front and centre for Wiz Khalifa. Everyone wins. Image: Optus RockCorps.
Australia's obsession with Americana is going one step further, there's a brand new music festival on the New South Wales calendar. Wonderfully dubbed Dashville Skyline, the brand new camping festival is being touted as a two-day ode to American music — locked in for the October 3-4 long weekend, 2015. Who's behind this brand spanking new jaunt? The Dashville Skyline team are no spring chickens in the festival game; they're the brains behind hugely successfully niche festivals like The Gum Ball and PigSty in July. After finishing up The Gum Ball last year, the team are bringing the tunes back to the festival-ready Johnston family property in Dashville, Lower Belford in New South Wales — the bush-surrounded site of their previous festivals. Americana-influenced tunes will be the footstomping music of choice over the two days at Dashville — much like the recently successful Out on the Weekend festival. While the lineup has yet to be announced, the festival website describes the music as "born out of fondness for the Golden era that began in the USA in the late '60s, early '70s... a festival of Americana, psychedelia and alternative country music." Think contemporary music influenced by Bob Dylan, The Band, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and The Grateful Dead. There'll be both Australian and international artists on the bill, with each given a special project ahead of their Dashville set. To shake things up, the Dashville team are creating a shortlist of twenty of the era's greatest songs. Bands and artists will be asked to choose a song from this list and incorporate a cover version into their performance. The covers will be recorded live at the festival and gifted to all attendees at the conclusion of the weekend event as a super Dashville Skyline compilation. What a bloody great festival souvenir. There'll be Americana-themed food and booze on hand to complete the US-inspired sensory experience, and you'll be able to BYO in the campground (not inside the festival of course). It's all ages, and full weekend and individual day tickets with camption options for on either night will be available. Here's the site during The Gum Ball, to get an idea of your surrounds. Dashville Skyline runs over October 3 and 4 at Dashville, Lower Belford. For more information head over here.
If you didn't think a Sydney summer sunset could possibly get any better, that's okay — neither did we. But alas, it has. Now you can capitalise on those long summer evenings (thank you, daylight savings) by wining, dining and swaying to live music at Barangaroo Reserve, located in picturesque Gadigal Country. Enter: Sunset20°North. A celebration of music, food and culture set against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour, which will take place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in February. Inspired by Barangaroo's namesake, a strong female leader of north Sydney's Cammeraygal people, the event will showcase the best Australian female voices and chefs. The contemporary music lineup includes hip hop-artist Sampa The Great, folk singer Thelma Plum and Thandi Phoenix's electro beats. And the best part? It's all free. As is the interactive art, designed by Yuwaalaraay artist Lucy Simpson. Explore the large-scale Grandmother Tree as it changes with the sunset, reflecting colours and light across the harbour. The food on offer will change each week, with guest chefs Claire van Vuuren (Bloodwood), Thi Le (Anchovy), Jane Strode (Fred's) and Analiese Gregory (Franklin) each spending a weekend at the helm. The drinks list will also feature mostly female winemakers and producers, with cocktails crafted from native ingredients and award-winning wine. Overall, expect local, seasonal produce perfect for a harbourside picnic. Did someone say oysters? Sunset20°North will take place every weekend in February. Festivities kick off at 4pm on Fridays and 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Pop-up pros Street Food Circus are hitting Marrickville at the end of spring. And they'll be bringing with them three wild days of street food, craft beer, boutique wines, live music and DJs armed with vinyl. So blank out November 25 to 27 in your diary, for feasting at Fraser Park. The culinary extravaganza will showcase dishes from all over the world, with a particular focus on Italy and Vietnam. Representing the UN will be Big Papa's Food Truck with its multicultural menu, which includes the Korean (beef short ribs with cucumber kim chi on a bao gao bun) and the freaking enormous Americano (beef burger with pickle mayo sauce, cheddar and lettuce). Alternatively, for perfect arancini and whitebait fritto, swing by Italian street food experts Fritto + Co. Taking care of Vietnamese flavours will be Saigon Summer's outdoor barbecue pit, while Let's Do Yum Cha will be providing dim sim and duck pancakes. And, for health nuts, there'll be Agape Organic. Once the savouries are out of the way, it'll be time for dessert. Try out newbies Torch Me Creme Brulee and Donut Dealers, or go for established safe bet Over The Moo, who'll be serving up their next-level dairy-free ice cream (get the salted caramel) with waffles from Waffles and Dom. Keeping your thirst at bay throughout the day will be a bunch of craft beers and spirits, as well as fine wines, provided by Mountain Goat and Archie Rose distillers, among others. Meanwhile, in the Big Top, you'll be kicking back or getting down to a slew local DJ talent and, should you want to grab a vinyl or two of your own to take home, go rummaging at Rolling Records, a truck devoted to records. Street Food Circus is coming to Marrickville's Fraser Park from November 25-27. Tickets here.
Audiences have thrown spoons at Tommy Wiseau's The Room for over a decade, turning the film into a cult hit in the process. Alas, anyone hoping to gain a deeper insight into the cinema phenomenon at this year's Sydney Underground Film Festival might feel like lobbing cutlery in the filmmaker's direction instead. Unhappy about planned screenings of the documentary Room Full of Spoons, Wiseau threatened legal action, forcing organisers to remove the movie from the program. SUFF announced the news on their Facebook page, advising that they "tried everything in our power to move forward with the screening and have had many conversations with our own barristers and Wiseau's Australian-based legal team". In a move Wiseau could only approve of, the doco will be replaced by sessions of The Room itself. Amazingly for a festival that celebrates its tenth weird and wonderful year in 2016, this is the first time they've had to withdraw a film. Speaking to The Guardian, festival co-director Stefan Popescu delivered one heck of a burn: "This is the biggest censorship issue our festival has ever had, and it is not from the government — it's from the man who has delusions of cinematic adequacy." Ouch. Sydney Underground Film Festival runs from September 15 to 18. To view the full SUFF 2016 program, or to buy tickets, visit suff.com.au. Meanwhile, here are our top ten picks of SUFF. Go see 'em.
If you see one film over the next few months, make it Berlin Syndrome. Based on a novel of the same name, the film follows Australian photojournalist Clare (played by Teresa Palmer) as she embarks on her first solo trip to Berlin. While travelling, she meets and begins a passionate romance with charismatic local man Andi. Their relationship soon takes an unexpected and sinister turn—she wakes one morning to discover that Andi has left for work and locked her inside his apartment, with no intention of ever letting her leave. Filmed on location in Berlin and Melbourne, the film is a thoughtful, psychological thriller directed by Australian Cate Shortland (who also directed the critically acclaimed Somersault). It examines tough topics such as emotional manipulation, gaslighting and Stockholm syndrome in a provocative fashion, leaving the audience with a new outlook on the relationship that can occur between captor and captive. The film is released nationally on April 20. To celebrate, we're hosting an advanced screening of Berlin Syndrome at Palace Verona in Sydney on Thursday, April 13 at 6.30pm. Register your details below to go into the draw to win one of 50 double passes, and subscribe to Palace Cinemas if you're keen to receive session times in your inbox. [competition]615234[/competition]
Out in the middle of the California desert lies the city of Palm Springs. A long-time hangout of film stars known for its lavish hotels and mid-century modern architecture, it's the kind of quintessentially American locale that wouldn't look out of place on a postcard. But as picturesque as Palm Springs may look by day, it's even more incredible by night. On display at the Black Eye Gallery for Contemporary Photography, Midnight Modern is an ongoing project by Melbourne-based photographer Tom Blachford, who has travelled to Palm Springs five times over the past two years to shoot the city as it shines in the moonlight. Capturing bungalows, palm trees and vintage Cadillacs, Blachford's work offers a uniquely cinematic look at a place that is both lavish and desolate – a manicured slice of comfort in the wild.
Brought to you by the Black Dog Institute, the National Institute for Experimental Arts at UNSW and host Julie McCrossin, The BIG Anxiety Project explores one of society's greatest (and common) mental health issues: anxiety. According to Beyond Blue, approximately 45 percent of Australians will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. In any one year, around 1 million Australian adults have depression, and over 2 million have anxiety. How are we coping with the strains and stresses of city life? What does online connectivity mean for our levels of anxiety? Who does it effect, how does it feel and what can we do to address it? An interactive session blending health research with cutting-edge data visualisation tools, this Vivid Ideas event will let you see social media feeds transformed into live infographics that reveal the themes, thoughts and truth behind anxiety. This is one of our top picks for Vivid Ideas events. Read the whole list and reboot your brain.
For 19 years, Sydney Design Festival has been putting you face-to-face with the latest developments in architecture, fashion, technology, food and art. Gear up for yet another nine mindblowing days, coming up on September 2. This time around, you'll be seeing the Goods Line in a whole new light, discovering the latest innovations from Indigenous designers, hearing from creatives about the fine line between success and failure, exploring artists' responses to the impact of digital manufacturing and cutting up bamboo bicycles. And that's just the beginning. So get your designer cap on and get amongst it.
Gallery-hopping after hours? Talk about a perfect Sydney date idea. Art Month Sydney's beloved Precinct Nights are back, offering you the golden opportunity to enjoy a spate of art venues open late, transforming your art viewing into an adventure trail after closing time. Art at Night | East Sydney in partnership with Concrete Playground and Cake Wines is the ultimate artventure, with over fifteen eastern Sydney galleries open from 6-8pm on Thursday, March 3. Galleries on the trail include Alaska Projects and Alaska Studios, Australian Design Centre, Black Eye Gallery, Chalk Horse, Creative Live Work Spaces, Firstdraft, Gallery 9, King Street Gallery on William, Michael Reid Sydney, STACKS Projects, Stanley Street Gallery, Tap Gallery, Watters Gallery, William Wright | Artists Projects, and Yuill | Crowley, who all have pretty damn great Art Month programs in store. But every great trail walk needs a solid watering hole at the end. Once you've perused enough art, make your way to the Cake Wines Art Bar at National Art School, Forbes and Burton Street, Darlinghurst (open from 7.30-10.30pm). There'll be plenty going on at the pop-up, including projections from NAS alumni and students, performances, an interactive drawing workshop, as well as Art Month presenting a series of performances including Liam Benson, Justin Shoulder and Wisteria Hysteria with FBi Radio's Sweetie on the decks. Download the map here.
It's been a whole year since the lads at Surry Hills' craft beer-loving pub Keg & Brew opened their doors, so of course they're going to bloody celebrate. Raising a glass to a year of weird and wonderful niche lagers, ales and pilsners, K&B are one of the best craft beer pubs in Sydney. They've invited their mates at Young Henrys and Batch Brewing for a tap takeover. The brewers and brewery reps will be hanging about the pub for you to grill about different beers — maybe they'll even sign a growler for you. To really get the most out of the K&B bar on their birthday, you can opt for the $5 Thirsty Thursday schooner specials — choose from the Batch American Pale Ale or Young Henrys Natural Lager. There'll be plenty of nosh going around at the party, with two special dishes created for the night. First, the lobster nachos (such decadence, much wow), which features Young Henrys lager-poached lobster tail, five bean mix, mozzarella cheese, sour cream, tomato salsa and chives for $19. Alternatively, there's the lamb hot dogs, featuring lamb and rosemary sausages served with cucumber, Batch American Pale Ale braised soft onions, smoke paprika yoghurt and shoestring fries for $16.50. Importantly, and most adorably, there'll be complimentary Keg & Brew birthday cupcakes. And even though it's the pub's birthday, they're giving out the pressies and prizes — you and three mates could win a personalised tour of both Batch Brewing Co and Young Henrys breweries. Just enter the comp while you're sinking a few Natural Lagers in the pub. HB K&B. We reckon the Keg & Brew is one of the ten best craft beer bars and pubs in Sydney. Check out the whole list here.
More than a decade after the series finale of Friends, a replica of the show's iconic Central Perk cafe is coming to Sydney's Hyde Park. Located on the corner of College and Liverpool Streets, the pop-up coffee shop complete with famous orange couch will be open for two weeks, selling merchandise, serving free coffee and providing ideal selfie opportunities for flocks of diehard fans. The cafe is part of a promotion by streaming service Stan, who have just inked a deal with Warner Brothers to put all 236 episodes of the sitcom online in HD. That comes to roughly 86.5 hours of television, for anyone planning a marathon-length binge. The same pop-up attracted nearly 50,000 people when it appeared in New York last year. In Sydney it'll be open 8am to 5pm Sundays through Wednesdays and 8am to 7pm Thursdays through Saturdays.
The team at Cuckoo Callay know what people like. Earlier this year, the Newtown cafe hit a homerun with their first ever bacon festival, a three-month celebration of that most versatile of pork products complete with bacon burgers, bacon ice cream and even bacon Bloody Marys. Now, they're doubling down with an event dedicated to the only thing in the world that people get more excited about than bacon. We're talking, of course, about puppies. Set to take place on November 14-15 in support of the legends at the RSPCA, Cuckoo's Dog Day Afternoon will be a weekend-long party for our favourite four-legged friends (sorry, cats). Cuckoo Callay will transform its outdoor space into a veritable pooch's paradise with toys, treats and a full-blown doggy day spa. Those of us without tails, meanwhile, will enjoy gourmet dawgz, wine and a lineup of live music and entertainment. Each day will also see Newtown's best dressed dogs compete for gold and glory in Cuckoo's Doggy Dress Up Parade. 15 pooches (and their owners) will compete for up to $1500 worth of prizes, judged by an eclectic panel that includes ex-Big Brother champ Tim Dormer, TV presenter Lynette Bolton and state member for Newtown Jenny Leong. Anyone wanting to sign up their dog for the contest can do so via the Cuckoo Callay Facebook page. And now, enjoy this: Cuckoo Callay's Dog Day Afternoon is happening November 14-15 at Newtown Railway station, 324A King Street, Newtown.
Find yourself washed up on a tropical island with two spoiled kidults and their long-suffering assistants in a new, bizarre and disturbingly colourful play Great Island, "with a lot more sex, violence and Heart of Darkness than your average island getaway." Showing at Redfern's 107 Projects, Great Island marks the debut of new Sydney theatre group Beside Ourselves Collective, who've improvised, developed and birthed an "utterly disrepectful" (their words) new adaptation of Pierre de Marivaux's 1725 farce L'Ile des esclaves. When the island's mysterious ruler submits our washed up protagonists to a subversive experiment, the servants become the masters in a crazy, coconutty class war. Expect to laugh when least appropriate. Steered by director Pierce Wilcox (of the Australian Chamber Opera, but believe us, this ain't no opera), Beside Ourselves take de Marivaux's play to new levels of weird with an ensemble of glorious fools: theatresports champions Harry Milas and Rob Johnson (Mantaur), Anna Chase (TV’s The Checkout), Eleni Schumacher (Dead Time at 107 Projects) and Nicholas Starte (Black Swan State Theatre Company’s Dust).
Want to see Seekae's Alex Cameron, surrounded by art, playing live for free? Want to be seduced by the smooth sounds of Donny Benet beside Australia's famous faces? Over the month of August, the Art Gallery of New South Wales's Art After Hours program is extending the Archibald Prize love to live music. Each Wednesday from August 5-26, AGNSW will see some of Australia's best musicians playing for free in the Gallery's entrance court in 'Faces in the Crowd'. Yep, for free. On August 5, Alex Cameron returns to the Gallery to take you on a journey through time and space with his eclectic brand of electronica. James will be teaming up with saxophonist Roy Molloy to showcase his debut album Jumping the Shark, which documents tales of shame and humiliation in the most crisp, breezy way possible. On August 12, Austinmer band Shining Bird will bring their hypnotic melodies, Crosby, Stills and Nash-like harmonies and debut album Leisure Coast tunes to the Gallery. A crew of buds who initially bonded over their love of the sea, Australian cinema, Dennis Wilson's Pacific Ocean Blue LP and the great Australian poet Henry Lawson, this crew has a sound you can't pin down until you hear it live. On August 19, drummer for The Drones, frontman for The Gentlemen of Fortune and solo artist in his own right Mike Nogo brings his stripped-back folk-rock to the Gallery. He'll be performing a solo sneak peak of his highly anticipated third album, due out later this year. Then last (but in no way, shape or form least) immortal synthmaster and 'Sophisticated Lover' Donny Benet will be gracing the gallery on August 26. Breaking hearts and taking names since his 2011 debut album The Touch, Benet's signature blend of Italo-disco and synth-laden pop has entranced audiences from Goodgod Small Club to Sydney Festival to the Opera House. Each artist will play twice in the evening (you lucky things), once at 6pm and again at 7.30pm. ART AFTER HOURS — FACES IN THE CROWD SERIES LINEUP: AUGUST 5 — ALEX CAMERON (SEEKAE) AUGUST 12 — SHINING BIRD AUGUST 19 — MIKE NOGA AUGUST 26 — DONNY BENET While you're there, why not see the Archibald Prize?
It was an ill-designed defence mechanism at the time of the first white settlers, then a pretty awful place for convicts. Now, one of Sydney's most historic harbour spots and recently a pretty fancy schmancy dining destination, Fort Denison has announced the return of its summer drinks and dining series, Sunday Sunsets. That's right, Sundays from now on? Fortress parties y'all. You'll be able to sail on out to Fort Denison Restaurant for Sunday afternoons of cocktails, food and live music every Sunday from November 29 until January 2016. You can book a sit-down sunset dinner at the restaurant, or play it super casual on the outdoor couches — there's a 'drinks and bites' menu that'll see you loaded up on lamb sliders, fish tacos, Alaskan crab tostadas, Sydney rock oysters, fine cheeses and charcuterie boards. Chuck in a little acid jazz and R&B from resident DJ and saxophonist Zak (a multitalented, multitasking dude is Zak), and you've got yourself a supremo Sydney date. There'll be special extended ferry services from Circular Quay, alongside shuttles from Manly and Watsons Bay. The last ferry departs from CQ at 8pm, so you can make a pretty long lazy Sunday. You'll have book though, to ensure your spot on the fortress, so check out the session times and prices on the website and lock in your spot. Fort Denison's Sunday Sunsets run every Sunday from November 29 to January 2016. Check the website for the weekly music lineup.
Hate the lockouts? We're with you. Keen to really, actually, physically do something to show your discontent with the Sydney lockout laws? Lobby group Keep Sydney Open are holding a huge rally on February 21 to protest the State Government's controversial laws and the affect they're having on Sydney. Starting at Belmore Park in Central at 12.30pm, the rally will then make its way into the CBD. The crowd will stop by the soon-to-close George Street staple Bar Century for a mock funeral for all businesses and venues closed, and jobs lost since the lockouts were instated. Legendary Sydneysiders and nightlife supporters will be joining the rally for speeches, including Dave Faulkner (Hoodoo Gurus), Isabella Manfredi (The Preatures), Bernard Keane (political editor of Crikey and author of A Short History of Stupid) and Keep Sydney Open founder Tyson Koh. There'll also be performances from Sydney favourites Royal Headache — who wore Keep Sydney Open shirts at their Flaming Lips support set for Sydney Festival — and Art vs Science — who recently released a song in protest of the lockouts. More speakers will be announced during the week. There will be t-shirts on sale at Belmore Park before the rally proceeds on. The Keep Sydney Open rally is pushing certain actions on the Sunday, including: - lockout exemptions for licensed premises that are predominantly live music venues - an end to the new licence freeze for predominantly live music venues and small bars - the lifting of restrictions on retail hours - late-night public transport, like in Melbourne - the introduction of a Night Mayor, like in Amsterdam and Berlin - an invitation from government to discuss next steps in partnership with those whose livelihoods depend on the music and cultural industries thriving in Sydney - police to work with not against the responsible venues who provide safe nights out in a global city Keep Sydney Open's rally starts at 12.30pm at Belmore Park, Central on February 21. Head to the Facebook event page for more info. Image: Andy Fraser, Laneway Festival (who support Keep Sydney Open).
If you're already squealing, this is the gig you've been waiting for. Bright Eyes frontman and bonafide dreamboat of your formative years Conor Oberst is returning to Australia to play some very special shows for your fast-beating heart. Since the early '90s, Oberst has spun tales of heartbreak, love, joy, life and serious depression, gradually moving from Bright Eyes to the Mystic Valley Band and Monsters of Folk in recent years. Now he's heading back to Sydney, armed with tracks from his most recent album, 2014's Upside Down Mountain as well as those tunes that made you weep, fall in love and appreciate the little things. Fingers crossed for 'Lua', 'First Day of My Life'; you know the drill. This isn't your regular giggin' in pavilions tour though. As well as hitting up Brisbane's Triffid, Melbourne's Corner Hotel and Sydney's Metro's Theatre, Oberst is set to play a series of unconventional gigs among the giraffes, hitting Sydney's Taronga Zoo and Melbourne Zoo Twilights. Bet even the bilbies have a bit of a tear-up. Conor Oberst will play two Sydney shows, March 4 at the Metro Theatre and March 6 at Taronga Zoo. Supported by The Felice Brothers.
Already a fan of SBTRKT, thanks to his remixes of Radiohead, M.I.A., Mark Ronson and Basement Jaxx? You haven't heard the best of the mask-wearing mystery man yet. It's on his studio albums that he shifts into top gear. Lead by mastermind Aaron Jerome Foulds, SBTRKT first solo-sashayed into public consciousness around June 2011, with the release of his eponymous debut. By spring 2014, another dose had been delivered, with full-lengther Wonder Where We Land, released in October. If you scored yourself a ticket to Falls Festival or Field Day this New Year's, you would have already seen how SBTRKT's latest creations manifest live. But there'll still a chance to kick off 2015 in his company. He'll be playing sideshows at Melbourne's Forum Theatre on Wednesday, January 7 (sold out) and at Sydney's Enmore Theatre on Thursday, January 8. Given that he'll be arriving on the heels of extensive US and European tours, we're expecting to catch a couple of seriously polished performances, complete with epic visuals. Supported by Movement.
Just as the mid-week blues rears its ugly head, Goodgod delivers once again with its trademark pop culture trivia tournaments. Starting the New Year off with a bang, 2015 marks the bar's first ever (that's right, never before seen, folks) Music Trivia night. Prepare for the clashing of Sydney's musical minds, things could get tense (don't say we didn't warn you). Featuring FBi Radio's Shag and Al Grigg of Palms and Straight Arrows playing hosts, these two will be your go-to gurus overseeing every score and stumble during the evening's festivities. Fancy yourself a bit of a musical aficionado? Try your hand and challenge your mates to see who comes out on top, or team up against rival music nerds. Keeping all competitors at their fighting best, Goodgod will be dishing up a brand spanking new menu of tasty dishes too. With whispers of some sweet prizes also up for grabs, your Wednesdays won't be looking too shabby for the next weeks to come.
This week has more Australian '80s-style synth pop, unforgettable dance moves and enviable hairstylin' than usual, with Sydney duo Client Liaison rolling into town for their national Pretty Lovers tour. Renowned for their infectious '80s synth and '90s pop influences, this pair continues to pack a punch with the release of their debut EP, Queen, last year. If their sold-out Spiegeltent shows at Sydney Festival this year, or their recent confetti cannon-finale at Secret Garden Festival are anything to go by, Oxford Art Factory better fortify their floorboards — furious dancing is mandatory. Extravagant and over-the-top in every way, Harvey Miller and Monte Morgan are well worth checking out, revisiting or continuing your straight-up superfandom for. If a high-energy end-of-week dance party sounds like your jam, check out Client Liaison on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14. Words by Lucinda Starr and Shannon Connellan.
Easter is creeping up once again, and that means that Bad Friday block party is on its way as well. From their humble beginnings at the Annandale Hotel in 2010, the crew behind one of the best celebrations of local talent in the calendar year have ramped it up, year after year, and this year — the event's huge tenth year — won't change that winning formula. The festival will take over Fraser Park in Marrickville from 1pm on Friday, April 19, and it boasts quite the lineup. Indeed, while it's still just over two months away at the time of writing, this shindig is selling tickets quickly. The first two early releases have been snapped up, so if you're keen to attend, you'll want to nab one from the full-price last batch. Back to the bill. The roster of talent meanders through 19 artists, including 14 homegrown Sydney outfits. Prepare to party to the sounds of Jungle, The Avalanches doing a DJ set, DMA's, DZ Deathrays, The Jezabels, Tropical Fuck Storm and more — and party like you've got three days off afterwards, too.
Some people would travel a long way to visit cult West Village piano bar Marie's Crisis — well known for its mass singalongs and made extra famous when Jimmy Fallon paid a raucous, impromptu visit — but Sydneysiders don't have to this March. After a wildly popular run in 2015, the Marie's crew are bringing the whole experience back to Sydney as part of the second Spectrum Now Festival. Recreating the dive bar in QT Parlour Lane Roasters from March 1-10, Marie's Crisis are bringing their whole showtune-lovin' team all the way from NYC to gather round the piano for everything from Fiddler on the Roof to Phantom. The MC crew are also teaming up with Sydney's Hayes Theatre Company for a huge outdoor singalong in The Domain on March 7, so brush up on your Sondheim. Spectrum Now runs March 1-16 Sydneywide. To check out the entire program and book yourself into Spectrum Now, head over here.
While Messina's main jam is crafting supremely scoffable varieties of gelato, the brand's love of food extends far beyond the freezer, as proven through a series of pop-ups it's dubbed Messina Eats. Every couple of months, the cult gelateria teams up with a savoury-focused culinary hero and throws a big ol' food party in the carpark at its Rosebery headquarters. On March 18, however, Messina's flying solo for its Pie Country pop-up, plating up both sweet and savoury iterations of that flaky favourite: the pie. On the menu, executive head chef Tom flaunts his passion for pies with a range that includes a nacho-style combo of chilli con carne, guacamole, corn chips, sour cream, and jalapenos. There's also one filled with slow-cooked Nepalese chicken curry and topped with mushy peas and mashed potato. Of course, the dessert game will be as strong as ever, with deep-fried apple pie, vanilla soft serve, and a salted caramel and coffee version of Messina Milk, all on offer. Messina Eats: Pie Country kicks off at 12pm this Saturday, March 18, and runs until all those pies have sold out.
Looking for that perfect something-something for your one and only? Valentine's Day has us all mushy and wanting to share the love. Luckily we've got a big ol' crush on Secret Garden festival, NSW's favourite made-for-mates-by-mates festival. How would you like to stay in your own Honeymoon Suite at the festival? You'll win a pair of two-day tickets to Secret Garden, and you'll be staying in the festival's very special Honeymoon Suite — a very, very fancy bell tent dressed up and made all romantic-like by the Secret Garden creative team (package worth $900). It's the ultimate date for adventure seekers. We're talking choccies on the pillow, bubbles on arrival, rose petals — the whole nine yards. Enter the comp here. Here's a lovely little romance-fuelled movie from Secret Garden, in which 'Farmer Henry Wants a Wife' on the SG festival site. Love is truly in the air. Farmer Henry Wants a WifeThis is the full story on Farmer Henry, who wants a wife.Competitors, please meet 4:30pm 27th FEB, Main Stage, Secret Garden. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY xGet amongst it! >>> http://bit.ly/SG_Tickets Posted by The Secret Garden on Saturday, February 13, 2016
Marrickville could become Sydney's new late night destination, after the local council revealed an ambitious proposal for a brand new live music and creative arts precinct. The plans for the Sydenham Station Creative Hub would see the industrial area around Sydenham Station rezoned, opening it up for a swathe of potential new bars, restaurants and music venues. And best of all? No lockouts. The proposal is appealing for a number of reasons. With punters fleeing Kings Cross and the CBD in droves, Sydney is crying out for a new after-hours music hub. The area around Sydenham Station is already home to a number of popular venues, including Red Rattler, Gasoline Pony and The Factory, while easy access via the train line is another big tick in its favour. "If anyone had a dream to set up a live music venue, small bar, or creative business right on a major transport interchange between the city and significant suburban renewal along adjacent railway corridors, I'd be looking very, very closely at the Sydenham Station Creative Hub," Live Music Office Policy Director John Wardle told The Music. Marrickville Mayor Sam Iskandar also weighed in on the plans, saying that "with the fantastic transport links the area has, we believe a Sydenham Station Creative Hub could easily become a must-visit destination for all of Sydney." Marrickville Council is currently seeking public feedback on the proposal, which you can provide via a survey on their website. The council will meet to discuss the project on June 7 before deciding whether to move forward. Via The Music. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
The Palisade Hotel was once the highest building in Sydney. It's true, back in 1915 it was built as a pub for port workers and the residents of Millers Point; a feat of modern commercial development. After many long and hearty years as a Millers staple pub, hotel and prized Brian Sudek/Annie Parmentier restaurant, it closed in 2008. But now, the Palisade is finding new life in its 100th year, quietly reopening its ground floor bar this week. Quite the prime real estate spot, the Palisade has been snapped up for about $20 million by entrepreneur Richard Sapsford, according to Good Food. The pub is aiming to fuse boutique hotel accommodation with a brand new penthouse eatery and bar, under the direction businessman of Greg Walker. With the ground floor bar now open for business — serving hearty pub grub like soup and toasties alongside lighter fare like lentil and beetroot salads — the Palisade's fancier upper levels are tipped for a September opening. Owner of The Society Inc and interior stylist for the likes of Palings, Mr Wong, Palmer & Co, El Loco, 30 Knots, Upstairs at The Beresford, MsG’s and more Sibella Court is steering the revamp — one she 's claiming to have a "Soho House feel", nodding to the New York City Meatpacking District institution. The Palisade's ground floor bar is now open at 35 Bettington Street, Millers Point. Watch this space for more details on the upper levels. Via Good Food. Images: Mick Stanic and Newtown Grafitti (Flickr CC)
Any time is a good time for a getaway in the Hunter Valley, though that's particularly true in May and June. That's when the Hunter Valley Wine & Food Festival returns to highlight the best the region has to offer. And this year, there's more cheese than usual. Rather than focus all of their eating and drinking goodness over a few days or on a few places, HVWFF spreads the love. Keen on a fireside dinner where you'll sample 2014-vintage wines? Want to meet local producers and feast on farm-fresh meals? Or watch a wine barrel become a bonfire as part of an annual tradition? Of course you do. But if the godly trio of wine, cheese and the arts specifically take your fancy, hold on to that hat of yours. At the brand new Cheese Lovers Festival, you can try as much dairy as you can stomach for just $20 entry ($25 for early birds). This cheesy, cheesy festival will showcase over 40 cheese, wine and craft beer stalls with tasting opportunities. Tasting opportunities. There's a 'Fancy Cheesecake' competition, a three-course cheesy menu designed by chef Lyndey Milan and more. There's also the Hunter Valley Wine Festival, which showcases the beverage part of the equation. And the Lovedale Arts Festival runs for the entire two months, showcasing everything from sculpture to music. Basically, if you can't find a reason to make the trip, you're not looking hard enough. And that's just the official side of things. With more than 150 wineries in the area, taking a few detours is to be expected. The Hunter Valley Wine & Food Festival runs across May and June in various locations. For more information, check out the Hunter Valley website.
Chippendale’s mysterious, once-seedy alleyways will be getting the BEAMS treatment again on Saturday, September 19. Now in its fourth year, BEAMS Arts Festival delivers a feast of light, video, animation, sculpture, music, dance, theatre and food for five action-packed hours between 5pm and 10pm. And every minute of it is gloriously free. Festival director Nicky Ginsberg says we can expect “live music featuring Australia’s best and brightest talent co-curated by King Sound Studios and including the elite of Triple J Unearthed and the Australian Institute of Music in this year’s stellar line-up". Meanwhile, local eateries will be “showcasing their finest wares”. And the festival’s creative participants will be responding to the theme 'phenomena'. They’ve been asked to reflect on Chippendale’s evolution from its industrial origins to its contemporary manifestation, while exploring what Sydney’s future might hold through imaginative collaboration. BEAMS will take place along on Balfour, Little Queen and Kensington Streets, as well as in nearby laneways and on Chippendale Green (within One Central Park).
